Corruption in WH and ATSS:
LOAS:
1- Corruption of religion to perpetuate suffering- weaponised
2- Corruption of children- weaponised- differing uses in regards to
societal expectations
3- Corruption of marriage due to societal expectation- of childbirth in
ATSS + undermined by chance for social ascension in WH
In both ‘WH’ and ‘ATSS’, the corruption of religion serves as a means to
perpetuate suffering, as Hosseini and Bronte alike criticise its misuse.
Bronte expresses the corruption of religion in ‘WH’ through Joseph, whose
educated position fails to give way to moral inclination. Educated in
Anglicanism, it would be expected that Joesph's knowledge of religious
doctrine should give way to a strong compulsion to act ethically. Instead,
Joseph's repeated manipulation of his position as a religiously educated
man to condemn rather than educate those around him underscores the
notion of religious hypocrisy and corruption. Joesph's exploitation of the
Bible is evidenced by Nelly's examination of his character, as she tells
Lockwood that he uses 'a Bible to rake the promises to himself, and fling
the curses on his neighbours'. The use of the determiner 'a' differs to the
conventional agreement that 'the' Bible is a singular entity and suggests
that to Joesph, the Bible is mouldable to his goals. Thus, the exploitation
of religious knowledge works to highlight the corruption of such teachings
in being weaponised. Joseph, then, continually breaches Anglican protocol
in the highest form. The act of 'flinging curses on his neighbours' ironically
juxtaposes the Great Commandment (Leviticus 19:18), that 'thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself', and serves as proof that Joseph uses his
religious education to shed suffering and hatred. Additionally, the dynamic
verbs 'rake' and 'fling' work to place Joseph in a position of action,
furthering the notion of the weaponising of religion in order to cause
suffering for those around him. This suffering can be seen in the manner
in which he condemns Heathcliff, saying “ye'll never mend o' yer ill ways,
but goa raight to t' devil”- the fact Joseph neither attempts to educate
Heathcliff nor forgive him, instead jumping to condemning him to Hell, the
ultimate place of suffering, highlights his religious hypocrisy. Perhaps,
then, Bronte critiques the role of the monopoly of the Anglican church in
Victorian England, given its supposed moral superiority and perfect
doctrine are undermined by the moral corruption of its followers. Hosseini
similarly conveys a weaponisation of religion in ‘ATSS’, reflecting a
corruption of religious values in Rasheed’s misuse of the burqa, which
serves to cause Mariam’s suffering in suppressing her identity. Whilst
Islam tradition is that the burqa is to be worn by choice of women as a
LOAS:
1- Corruption of religion to perpetuate suffering- weaponised
2- Corruption of children- weaponised- differing uses in regards to
societal expectations
3- Corruption of marriage due to societal expectation- of childbirth in
ATSS + undermined by chance for social ascension in WH
In both ‘WH’ and ‘ATSS’, the corruption of religion serves as a means to
perpetuate suffering, as Hosseini and Bronte alike criticise its misuse.
Bronte expresses the corruption of religion in ‘WH’ through Joseph, whose
educated position fails to give way to moral inclination. Educated in
Anglicanism, it would be expected that Joesph's knowledge of religious
doctrine should give way to a strong compulsion to act ethically. Instead,
Joseph's repeated manipulation of his position as a religiously educated
man to condemn rather than educate those around him underscores the
notion of religious hypocrisy and corruption. Joesph's exploitation of the
Bible is evidenced by Nelly's examination of his character, as she tells
Lockwood that he uses 'a Bible to rake the promises to himself, and fling
the curses on his neighbours'. The use of the determiner 'a' differs to the
conventional agreement that 'the' Bible is a singular entity and suggests
that to Joesph, the Bible is mouldable to his goals. Thus, the exploitation
of religious knowledge works to highlight the corruption of such teachings
in being weaponised. Joseph, then, continually breaches Anglican protocol
in the highest form. The act of 'flinging curses on his neighbours' ironically
juxtaposes the Great Commandment (Leviticus 19:18), that 'thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself', and serves as proof that Joseph uses his
religious education to shed suffering and hatred. Additionally, the dynamic
verbs 'rake' and 'fling' work to place Joseph in a position of action,
furthering the notion of the weaponising of religion in order to cause
suffering for those around him. This suffering can be seen in the manner
in which he condemns Heathcliff, saying “ye'll never mend o' yer ill ways,
but goa raight to t' devil”- the fact Joseph neither attempts to educate
Heathcliff nor forgive him, instead jumping to condemning him to Hell, the
ultimate place of suffering, highlights his religious hypocrisy. Perhaps,
then, Bronte critiques the role of the monopoly of the Anglican church in
Victorian England, given its supposed moral superiority and perfect
doctrine are undermined by the moral corruption of its followers. Hosseini
similarly conveys a weaponisation of religion in ‘ATSS’, reflecting a
corruption of religious values in Rasheed’s misuse of the burqa, which
serves to cause Mariam’s suffering in suppressing her identity. Whilst
Islam tradition is that the burqa is to be worn by choice of women as a
